


Sleepyhead Shepard

by humblydefiant



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Sleepy Shepard, mShenko
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-11
Updated: 2016-09-11
Packaged: 2018-08-14 13:40:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8016181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/humblydefiant/pseuds/humblydefiant
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a super short one-shot with fluff a-plenty! Inspired by <a href="http://commander-hot-pants.tumblr.com/post/150062587137/shepard-is-the-kind-of-guy-who-says-hes-not-tired">this</a> incredible artwork by <a href="http://commander-hot-pants.tumblr.com/">commander-hot-pants</a> @ tumblr. (It also inspired a <a href="http://lorastyrell.com/post/150139458785/commander-hot-pants-shepard-is-the-kind-of-guy">terrific story</a> by <a href="http://lorastyrell.com/">renlyslittlerose</a> that I highly recommend). Kudos to both of them and I hope they don't mind if I put in my two cents worth.</p><p>After Rannoch, Kaidan becomes a prop for an exhausted Shepard - and it makes Kaidan the happiest man alive. =)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sleepyhead Shepard

"Let me surround you,  
my sea to your shore.  
Let me be the calm you seek."  
\- "I Love You" by Sarah McLachlan

Kaidan felt familiar arms slide around him. He smiled at the brush of Shepard's beard nuzzling into his neck. His hand clasped over Shepard's intertwined fingers.

"Hey. There you are."

Shepard mumbled something into his back and Kaidan didn't ask him to clarify. He sipped his coffee and soaked in the moment. The impressive bulk of Rannoch filled much of the view in the Starboard Observation Lounge. Since they had arrived, things had happened in quick succession. Saving Admiral Koris. Shepard's integration into the geth consensus. Even now, preparations were underway for the assault on the Reaper base. It wore on them all but Shepard showed it the most. He could feel the exhaustion exuding from the man behind him.

"How are you holding up?" Kaidan prodded innocently, though he couldn't keep the worry from bleeding into his voice.

Shepard turned his face to the side with an "mmph" and let out the breath he must have been holding. "I'm fine."

"Liar," he chuckled as he pushed the sleeve of Shepard's hoodie back to toy at the arm hair peeping from underneath. He loved these things about Shepard. The little things. Every thing. It felt strange, really - how someone could fill him with so much happiness and so much worry all at once. His heart could burst from either, he'd have to wait and see which one did him in. As long as he could wait with Shepard, he didn't care. He only knew that the only place in the entire galaxy he needed to be was surrounded by this man's arms.

"You brooding?"

A gasp of quick laughter escaped Kaidan's chest. The man knew him so well. "Just thinking about Rannoch. Who would have ever thought that we would be here? I bet Tali is on cloud nine." Shepard took Kaidan on most missions but had opted to replace him with Tali for the Rannoch missions, a decision that Kaidan supported though it had made him feel helpless. But Tali's talents were indispensable when dealing with the geth. She knew how to take them down. Besides, it would have been criminal not to involve her on their first missions to her people's long, lost home world. 

Besides, it had probably been better that Kaidan hadn't been there to see Shepard hooked up to the geth consensus. It would have felt like Despoina all over again. God. He never wanted to have Shepard so far out of reach ever again, whether physically buried deep in a churning ocean or mentally locked into a geth mainframe. Kaidan didn't discern much difference between the two.

"Yeah, she's pretty happy," Shepard confirmed. Kaidan could hear the smile in his voice and felt his arms tighten around his waist.

"You've done the impossible, Shepard. Never forget that."

"I couldn't have done it without you." Shepard lifted his head to kiss Kaidan's neck, then let it fall back onto his shoulders.

Kaidan wanted to protest this. He'd done his part, sure; but only as much as every other crew member behind Shepard. Even this might be too generous, he supposed, if one counted the time he spent recuperating in the hospital after Mars. Or, going further back, his refusal to join Shepard back on Horizon could be construed as anything but support. This still filled him with regret. He didn't blame himself for having questions, for being confused. But he wished he had trusted Shepard more - to follow his heart rather than his head. To have acknowledged that he loved him even then.

How could Shepard think that he hadn't done all that had been accomplished thus far on his own merit? How could he think that Kaidan had played any part more than a supporting role? He wanted Shepard to know - to believe - that they had reached this point because he fought for it. He made it happen. Those backing him did so because he inspired hope in them; otherwise, none of them would even have seen the Reapers coming. He wanted Shepard to know these things. To own them. So he took a moment to organize his thoughts.

Ready to make his case, he turned his head, his ear brushing against the fuzz lining Shepard's scalp. He opened his mouth, but the words halted in his throat. He smiled at a realization. Shepard's breath had fallen into a rhythm; his arms had slackened a bit though they remained clasped around Kaidan. He had slipped into a deep sleep.

Kaidan closed his own eyes and rested his cheek against Shepard's scalp. He absorbed everything he could about that moment. The smell of Shepard's scalp with it's strong hint of vanilla. The weight of the man propped against him. He whispered one word into Shepard's dreams: "Rest."


End file.
